Chefs Willy Thomas (who, with wife Yvette, co-owns Eastland Cafe and Park Cafe) and Joe Shaw (whose Nashville tenure includes Watermark, Miro District and The Standard at Smith House) have joined forces to bring regional Italian fare to the Eastside, transforming the erstwhile Cooper’s on Porter into a charming trattoria.

Designed in dark woods and soft lighting, walls of corrugated metal and repurposed barn wood, the dining room has rustic elegance; white linen-draped tables contribute a crisp touch. There’s a cozy bar and open kitchen. The wood-fired oven, imported from Italy, is ablaze.

On balmy evenings, it can be just as pleasant to dine on the wide-angled deck. Perched over Eastland Avenue, it offers ample al fresco seating.

Touting a farm-to-table approach, which meshes local ingredients in classic preparations, Pomodoro East takes its cues from Bottega, Frank Stitt’s celebrated restaurant in Birmingham, where Shaw also once worked. In Italian, pomodoro means tomato; exalted on both sides of the Atlantic, it is a fitting name for an eatery serving Italian food in the ’hood that hosts the Tomato Arts Fest.

Market fresh

While you peruse the menu, sip a glass of Prosecco, or dry fizzy Lambrusco. Your server will bring you oven-warm focaccia squares and a bowl of olive oil-balsamic vinegar for dipping. Definitive dishes of Rome, Venice and Milan comprise the roster of Antipasti, with specials arising from Shaw’s finds at the farmers’ market.

Following the tradition of famed Harry’s Bar, Pomodoro’s Carpaccio is painted with a lemony aioli tinged with horseradish and Worcestershire; capers and arugula lend peppery notes to the tender round of raw beef. A cast-iron skillet of gnocchi made from distinctive semolina flour is butter-rich, a Roman answer to dumpling-style comfort. Fat spears of asparagus dusted with breadcrumbs take their turn in the oven, embellished with hard-cooked egg and shaved Parmesan on the plate.

But should the evening special be fried squash blossoms, indulge in this fleeting treat. Shaw pipes a lemon-zest-laced ricotta into the orange-gold flowers before frying them in light tempura batter. He plates the beauties with a tuft of basil microgreens and salsa made from Georgia peaches.

Lush peaches appear again, in salad form. A vibrant sunburst composition, slices of lightly pickled fruit surround a scoop of house-made ricotta; ribbons of radicchio and arugula are dabbed with olive oil and strewn with toasted hazelnuts. A few stripes of local honey finish the dish.

Pasta is available in full or half orders. Half orders are well-portioned, the right partner to a salad.

Spaghetti is tossed with an assertive sauté of large shrimp, garlic, and pleasantly bitter rapini (on one visit, the pasta was overcooked). Handcrafted ravioli stuffed with creamed potatoes are napped in a butter sauce laden with crawfish tails. Capellini al pomodoro is a humble favorite: angel hair, crushed tomatoes, basil and garlic.

From that wood-fired oven, hand-formed pizza is a meal in itself, or ideal for sharing. There are five varieties, each emerging crisp and chewy (once, a bit ashy). Wild mushrooms make the roasted chicken pie memorable. Four cheeses and a chiffonade of basil give the Margherita-style pizza real pizzazz.

Entrees are generously sized.

With the Gallina Paillard, a scallopine of chicken breast sandwiched with provolone and pesto, there are no carbs to fret about — it is a “spa”-like dish topped with arugula salad. Its hallmarks: a drizzle of balsamic syrup and smoky oven finish.

With the Lonza di Maiale — roasted pork loin — the meat is deeply seasoned with garlic and rosemary, and topped, at service, with Mostarda di Cremona, the Italian version of chutney. Chunks of pear and sweet red pepper have candied sweetness and a little mustard bite, in harmony with the savory rich meat. The huge chop rests on a bed of Cannellini beans cooked in smoky bits of ham.

The pan-roasted leg of lamb is perfectly rare-seared, drenched in demi-glace, and served with a mound of cherry tomato risotto. The risotto is full-bodied yet soupy, a fine balance that calls forth a spoon to scoop it all up.

For dessert, Pomodoro offers an authentic interpretation of tiramisu: whipped mascarpone, sponge-like cake and espresso layered in a ramekin. It is very good. But for a step out of the expected, we recommend the Chocolate Pavé: triangles of bittersweet chocolate terrine flecked with almonds and sultanas, arranged in a pool of crème anglaise. Bellissima.

Service, while amiable, has been uneven. One weekday evening, management had underestimated business and was understaffed, servers struggling to take care of customers. On another occasion, it was a matter of inexperience, a new waiter learning the ropes. A third visit, though, was a charm.

Nancy Vienneau is a chef and retired caterer with 25 years of experience. She cooks and teaches at Second Harvest and blogs about her adventures with food at http://nancyvienneau.com. Reviews are written from anonymous visits to restaurants. Negative reviews are based on two or more visits. The Tennessean pays for all meals.